“Women make up the fastest growing population of vets; post-9/11, their numbers have become the highest in American history. One percent of the population are veterans; 10 percent of that one percent are women.

“A defined ‘separate’ space is incredibly important as some women veterans may not otherwise seek the help they need or feel comfortable opening up in a male-dominated setting,” says Lincoln Strehle, Deputy Executive Director of the Veterans Multi-Service Center. “VMC was determined to break down that barrier, and the Women Veterans Center was established for all women veterans to come and seek the services they truly deserve in a comfortable setting.”

Some of that is out of emotional need: 1 in 6 female vets report being sexually assaulted during their service, and many suffer from PTSD. For them, male-dominated vet centers can be more traumatizing than comforting. But the WVC—which accommodates veterans and their families from Korea to post-9-11—is also about empowerment.

Women veterans are underrecognized—and when they are they are often represented as downtrodden women whom society should feel bad for because they have been sexually assaulted. The truth is that the number of women serving in the military is growing and they are now working in jobs within the military where they weren’t previously allowed, such as on the front line in combat roles. WVC is creating a “space where women can thrive,” says Anna Stormer, Coordinator of the WVC.